Potassium regulates a plethora of metabolic and developmental response in plants, and upon exposure to biotic and abiotic stresses a substantial K⁺ loss occurs from plant cells. The outward-rectifying potassium efflux GORK channels are central to this stress-induced K⁺ loss from the cytosol. In the mammalian systems, signaling molecules such as gamma-aminobutyric acid, G-proteins, ATP, inositol, and protein phosphatases were shown to operate as ligands controlling many K⁺ efflux channels. Here we present the evidence that the same molecules may also regulate GORK channels in plants. This mechanism enables operation of the GORK channels as a master switch of the cell metabolism, thus adjusting intracellular K⁺ homeostasis to altered environmental conditions, to maximize plant adaptive potential.

Item Type:	Refereed Article
Keywords:	GORK, potassium, ligand gating, regulation, ion channel
Research Division:	Biological Sciences
Research Group:	Plant biology
Research Field:	Plant physiology
Objective Division:	Plant Production and Plant Primary Products
Objective Group:	Other plant production and plant primary products
Objective Field:	Other plant production and plant primary products not elsewhere classified
UTAS Author:	Adem, GD (Mr Getnet Adem)
UTAS Author:	Shabala, L (Associate Professor Lana Shabala)
UTAS Author:	Shabala, S (Professor Sergey Shabala)
ID Code:	139475
Year Published:	2020
Web of Science® Times Cited:	52
Deposited By:	Agriculture and Food Systems
Deposited On:	2020-06-17
Last Modified:	2020-07-09
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